He dragged me over to a car before stuffing me into the back seat. I tumbled in headfirst, barely catching myself before I fell to the floorboards. The door slammed behind me as I tried to get my bearings. And the next thing I knew, the car was peeling away from the bar.
I clamored up just enough to watch my pearl white SUV fade away into the night.
I didn’t have my purse. Which meant I had no money. I didn’t have my keys. Or my driver’s license. My only hope was my phone, and there was nowhere to hide in this stupid compact car so I could use it. I sat down onto the seat, facing the man as he drove with black leather gloves on his hands. He was covered from head to toe in black. Even his hair was sleek black. In the darkness, he had on sunglasses. In the soft, cool temperatures of the fall weather, he dressed as if we were in the Arctic. Every inch of him was covered in something.
I have to get out of here.
I looked over at the door handles, but my eyes widened. What the fuck? The insides of the doors didn’t have handles. I scooted over to the door, looking around for the lock. I started pressing buttons, but the driver started chuckling.
“Good luck,” he said.
I searched around for something. Anything. A weapon. A secret handle. A crowbar. A fucking bobby pin, for crying out loud. Anything to help get me out of this mobile prison. I shoved my shoulder into the door. Then I did it again. And again. Hoping and praying that my sheer force of will would send the thing opening.
The man reached back and fisted my hair.
“Ah!”
He hissed. “Sit still, or you’re dead before we get back. Got it?”
I nodded quickly. “Got it.”
“Good.”
He shoved me down against the seat and I stayed there. I didn’t dare look up. I don’t know how long I rode in that car, or where the hell he was taking me. But when I heard the creaking of metal against metal, I peeked up.
Only to see us driving through a wrought-iron gate.
The smell of apples was almost overwhelming. The perfectly-groomed trees that lined the manicured lot lined a driveway as it led us up a hill. The mansion at the top made my jaw drop open. There wasn’t a mark on the perfectly-poured driveway. The house practically sparkled in the moonlight as it sat there in all its immaculate glory. Everything had a place. Everything had a purpose. Even with the gaudiness of it all, it still felt put-together.
This wasn’t the house of a disorganized kidnapper.
My door opening from the outside ripped me from my trance. The man inside reached for my hair again, but I moved backward. I scooted all the way to the other side of the seat, hoping that I might be able to get the other door open. If I could get out of the--
“Ah!”
He grabbed my ankles. “Come here, you little bitch.”
I tried to kick my way out, but I was no match for the man’s grip. He pulled me out onto the ground, my back hitting the pavement with a crash. Then he fisted my hair, yanked me up off the ground, and dragged me up the porch. He tossed me into the house as I stumbled over my feet, trying to get my bearings. A massive door closed, making me jump. My eyes darted around as I tried to find my assailant. My kidnapper. The man who meant to do me harm tonight.
My eyes were drawn to the expanse around me.
The black and white marble floors shone by the dim light of the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The walls were painted a dark color, but the crown molding was a bright, impeccable white. It looked hand-carved. Incredibly ornate. Much too decadent for a machine to have replicated. I slowly turned around. The massive staircase leading up to the second floor was a masterpiece in and of itself. The winding cherry mahogany. The sparkling overlay of the banister. The subtle--
> “Come with me.”
The man grabbed my hair again. “Shit.”
I stumbled after him, trying not to fight too much. Because something told me this man would have no issues killing me at the drop of a hat. He led me through the mansion and out a back door. And when we stepped off his back porch, the scene unfolding in front of me struck me with absolute terror.
There was a crystal clear pool surrounded by concrete. And on the edge of the pool was a lone chair with its back turned towards the water.
And leather ties sitting off to the side.
“No,” I said.
I tried to backtrack as the man pushed me toward the chair.
“No, no, no, no. No! I said, no!”